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The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is accepting applications for a full-time United States Magistrate Judge position in the Eastern Division, with the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse at Chicago, Illinois as the duty station.

To qualified, an applicant must:

  • be, and have been for at least five years,
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On January 31, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois will host the Grand Opening Ceremony of the Magistrate Judge History Project.

The Opening Ceremony will take place at the Everett McKinley Dirksen Courthouse, Courtroom 1743, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago.  A reception will immediately follow.

If…

The Northern District has implemented a great addition to the ECF system. In cases with a referral, typically to a magistrate judge, filers will now have to select which judge a motion should be directed toward. Practically, this is a great addition because in limited instances motions were routed incorrectly and could end up in…

The Northern District of Illinois is accepting applications for a full-time United States Magistrate Judge position in the Eastern Division (Chicago). The deadline for applying is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18. The appointment will begin February 1, 2019.

To be qualified for appointment as a United States Magistrate Judge, an applicant must

  1. be, and

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Chief Judge Holderman announced that the Northern District of Illinois has appointed three new magistrate judges to seven year terms. All three new magistrates are former Northern District law clerks. Here are the biographies of each new judge as provided by the Northern District (emphasis added):
Jeffrey T. Gilbert received his law degree from Northwestern University (1980). He is a partner with Reed Smith in its Chicago office and is a member of the firm’s regulatory litigation group. Mr. Gilbert originally practiced with Sachnoff & Weaver, which combined with Reed Smith in 2007. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Gilbert served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Marvin E. Aspen, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer by 2010. Mr. Gilbert is also an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University Law.
Administrative Law Judge Young B. Kim was born in South Korea. He received his law degree from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law (1991). Judge Kim began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County, working in various misdemeanor courtrooms and in the Domestic Violence Division. Two years later, he served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Charles R. Norgle, Sr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. After his clerkship, Judge Kim joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, where he litigated both civil and criminal cases. During his seven-year service, Judge Kim focused on healthcare fraud, medical malpractice, and employment discrimination cases. In 2001, Judge Kim accepted an appointment with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as an Administrative Law Judge. Judge Kim is one of the recipients of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s “2004 Best Lawyers Under 40” award.
Sheila M. Finnegan received her law degree from the University of Chicago (1986) and currently co-chairs Mayer Brown’s Chicago litigation practice, handling civil and criminal trials. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, she was recognized as one of the top 50 women lawyers in Illinois by Super Lawyers. Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Ms. Finnegan served as Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. She also served for several years on the Financial Fraud Task Force. Ms. Finnegan served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Milton I. Shadur, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and is an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University Law School.
Welcome to the Northern District bench Judges Finnegan, Gilbert and Kim.
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Continue Reading N.D. Illinois Appoints Three New Magistrate Judges

The Northern District of Illinois is seeking applicants for one or more open Magistrate Judge positions. Magistrates serve eight year terms and the open positions will be located in Chicago. Chief Judge Holderman expects to appoint a Merit Selection Panel that will screen applicants and make recommendations this fall with the position or positions expected to be filled in the spring of 2010.
The minimum requirements are as follows:
[A]n applicant must be, and have been for at least five years, a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands of the United States, and have been engaged in the active practice of law for a period of at least five years. The applicant must be less than seventy years of age, and may not be related to a judge of the district court.
Applications and application instructions are available here. Applications must be received by 4;30 pm on September 11, 2009.
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Continue Reading Northern District of Illinois Seeking Magistrate Applicants

Magistrate Judges Geraldine Soat Brown and P. Michael Mahoney were each reappointed for an additional eight year term.* Judge Brown’s reappointment was for her second 8-year term.
Judge Mahoney will serve his fifth 8-year term. He began as a part-time magistrate judge in 1976, and was appointed full-time in 1992. Judge Mahoney is the longest sitting magistrate judge serving in the Seventh Circuit.
* Unlike Article III judges (such as district judges), magistrate judges are appointed to serve for eight year terms.
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Continue Reading Magistrate Judges Brown & Mahoney Reappointed

Here is some recent Northern District news:
Judge Coar recently updated his case management procedures (click here to read them) to state that pursuant to Local Rule 5.2(e), parties are no longer to provide courtesy copies of electronically filed papers to Judge Coar’s chambers, except for papers pertaining to Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 or Local Rule 56.1 (summary judgment papers).
Magistrate Judges Brown (Eastern Division — Chicago) and Mahoney (Western Division — Rockford) are both up for reappointment in early 2008. Pursuant to federal law, the Court has established a citizen’s panel to consider their reappointments. Members of the bar, as well as the general public, are requested to forward comments regarding the reappointments no later than January 18, 2008, to:
Magistrate Judge Advisory Panel
c/o Mr. Michael W. Dobbins
Clerk of Court
U.S. District Court
219 South Dearborn St. — Rm. 2050
Chicago, IL 60604
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Continue Reading Northern District News